Vascular access grafts are well known in the art. These devices typically provide an efficient means of introducing or removing chemicals from the bloodstream. For example, in hemodialysis, vascular access grafts are used to remove the patient's blood so that it can be filtered through a dialyzer. In other cases, diseased portions of vasculature are replaced with or supplemented via grafts to facilitate blood flow or to reduce risk of rupture of an aneurysm. The grafts may comprise natural materials, e.g., a portion of a blood vessel taken from another area of the patient's body, or they may comprise artificial materials.
In order to achieve their intended function, prior art vascular access grafts have implemented mechanical, electrical, and even magnetic components. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,540 to Cole et al. discloses methods for forming magnetic vascular anastomoses, that include devices employing a magnetic force to form a magnetic port in a hollow body. Similarly, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2018/0289883A1 to Gage et al. discloses an apparatus and method for cannulation of vascular access grafts. In that disclosure, a device is taught to include a port that comprises a magnetic component around a cannulation chamber, which facilitates the localization of the port to an operator such as physician or medical personnel. Still other disclosures, such as U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016/0331511A1 to Kassab et al., teach magnetic closures mechanisms that may comprise an arrow-lock configuration, magnetic strips, a series of perforations and sutures and or a series of clips to seal together that device.
However, none of the prior art adequately addresses the issue of prolonging the life of a vascular access graft, particularly by disrupting and minimizing blood coagulation of a blood flowing through the graft. That is, because of the nature of prior art vascular access grafts, they are prone to build-up and often become restricted. Restricted grafts of course mean the velocity and or volume of blood flow through the graft is negatively impacted. As the lumen through a graft gradually becomes occluded with fatty buildup, other deposits or intima, the pressure differential across the graft increases, the velocity of blood in the lumen decreases and the flow of blood through the lumen decreases. To remedy faulty or restricted grafts, these prior art devices are generally designed so that regular (i.e. annual) replacement is expected. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to prolong the life of these devices by minimizing replacement intervals.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for a vascular access graft, which addresses the above-mentioned concerns. It is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.